Most conveyor line assemblies include moving parts, such as chains, rollers, and the like that undergo a significant amount of loading during operation. These loads may vary over time or may be concentrated in certain areas of the conveyor line assembly. For instance, loads on the conveyor line assembly can increase over the operating life of the assembly. Likewise, load concentrations can develop due to structural misalignment, wear, or lack of proper lubrication of certain components of the conveyor line assembly. Such loading can cause the conveyor line assembly to malfunction or fail, which can lead to losses in productivity.
Conveyor diagnostic systems have been designed for measuring and monitoring these loads. Typical systems measure loading by using strain gauges that are coupled to chain links of the conveyor line assembly. The loads are monitored to thereby properly maintain and preferably avoid failure of the conveyor.
However, conventional conveyor diagnostic systems do not allow the user to directly identify where the measured loads occur on the conveyor line assembly. Thus, although the user is able to identify the degree of loading on the conveyor, the user will likely not be able to identify which specific components need maintenance or replacement to reduce the loading. Accordingly, there remains a need for a conveyor diagnostic system that can effectively detect loading of a conveyor line assembly and that can locate where certain loads occur.